|
 Dr. James S. Cole enjoys leisure travel and
movies when he takes a break from his responsibilities as dean of Baylor College of Dentistry. At the moment, however, his free time centers around his precious granddaughter, Mia Caroline, who was born in October.
"In addition to being a big month for BCD's Centennial Celebration, this October was a big month for my family and me," he says.
Baylor College of Dentistry, now 100 years old, had not yet turned 75 when Cole joined the faculty in 1975 as an instructor of dental materials. He earned his dental degree
from BCD in 1975, in an era when the college was independent and the dental curriculum was compressed into three years.
Today, as dean of BCD, he oversees a much more complex operation. He has earned the respect of the faculty, staff and students for his successful leadership and passion
for making the educational environment the best it can be.
"My favorite part of the job is trying to make things better for our faculty, staff, students and patients," Cole says. As for the reason he has stayed with Baylor College of
Dentistry for so many years, he says, "It's the people! I have been fortunate to work with so many terrific colleagues over the years."
He has had multiple roles at BCD: faculty member, director of computer services, chief operating officer, chief financial officer, vice dean, interim president, interim dean
(twice), executive vice president, associate dean and dean. He has served as president and treasurer of the Baylor Oral Health Foundation, senior advisor to the Texas A&M
Health Science Center president and interim president of the health science center.
To the benefit of the BCD family, Cole's roots run deep with his alma mater. His favorite memory, in fact, is a fairly recent one: being elected to the BCD Hall of Fame
this year. In 2000, he was named Dentist of the Year by the Dallas County Dental Society. In May 2001, the Texas legislature honored Cole for his outstanding accomplishments in academia.
Aside from his desire to excel professionally, his family remains vital to his happiness and well being, says Cole. "I am blessed with a wonderful wife, a great daughter and
son-in-law, a great son and daughter-in-law and, of course, my beautiful new granddaughter."
He's not planning to hang up his hat any time soon. "I hope I can contribute to the college's continued success in the years to come," he says.
|
